Refrigerator including automatic icemaker and water pump driven thereby

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator including a freezer compartment containing an automatic icemaker and a fresh food compartment containing a water reservoir and a diaphragm pump driven by the ice ejecting means forming part of the icemaker for transferring measured quantities of water to the icemaker.

United States Patent 1 1 Webb 3,750,420 Aug. 7, 1973 1 REFRIGERATOR INCLUDING AUTOMATIC 3,068,662 12/1962 eminent...................... 62/353 ICEMAKER AND WATER PUMP DRIVEN THEREBY [75] Inventor:

- Primary Examiner-Wiiliam E. Wayner William M. Webb, Louisville, Ky. Attorney-Walter E- Rule at a. Assignee: General Electric Company,

Louisville, Ky.

Mar. 17, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 235,609

[22] Filed:

ABSTRACT 521 u.s. 62/331, 62/353 A refrigemm including a freezer *"P 51 1m. 01. F25c 1/04 "lining icemak" flesh 9" [58] Field of Search........................ 62/353, 71, 340, P cumming a Water and diaPhaSm 62/267, 331 pump driven by the ice ejecting means forming part of the icemaker for transferring measured quantities of water to the icemaker.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,374,997 5/1945 62/353 X 3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures REFRIGERATOR INCLUDING AUTOMATIC ICEMAKER AND WATER PUMP DRIVEN TI-IEREBY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Commercially available household refrigerators including automatic icemakers usually include means connected directly to the household water supply system for supplying water to the automatic icemaker.

It has been proposed to employ water storage tanks or reservoirs in the refrigerator for supplying water to an automatic icemaker. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,266-Alvarez et al. discloses the use of a motor driven pump for transferring water from a water reservoir to the icemaker and US. Pat. No. 2,767,556-l-lubacker discloses a bellows type pump operable upon opening of the door leading to the icemaker compartment for transferring a charge of water to the icemaker. Other known water supply means have included a water reservoir mounted above the icemaker and gravity feed means for transferring water to the icemaker.

The present invention is particularly concerned with a simple and low cost means for supplying water from I a water storage reservoir to an icemaker of a type in- SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 7 In accordance with the illustrated embodiment of the invention, there is provided a household refrigerator including a wall separating a freezer compartment from a fresh food compartment, an icemaker in the freezer compartment adjacent that wall and a water reservoir in the fresh food compartment. A diaphragm pump mounted on the vertical wall is provided for transferring a measured charge of water from the reservoir to the icemaker following each ice ejection cycle. Reciprocating means for operating the pump extends through the dividing wall. The icemaker includes vertically movable ejection means and the pump operating means is mechanically connected to the ejection means by a'cammed drive rod in such a manner that the upward movement of the ejecting means for ejecting ice pieces from the icemaker operates to fill the pump chamber with a measured charge of water while the subsequent downward movement of the ejection means following ejection of the ice pieces transfers that charge of water to the icemaker.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic view of the type of icemaker employed in the practice of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken generally along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 illustrating details of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating one type of valve mechanism forming part of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With particular reference to FIGS. I and 2 of the drawing, there is illustrated an automatic icemaker indicated by the numeral I mounted on a vertical partition or wall 2 separating the freezer compartment from the fresh food compartment of a household refrigerator. This icemaker, as is-more specifically described in the aforementioned Baker et al and Shaw patents, comprises a mold 3 adapted to be supported on the freezer side of the wall 2. The mold includes a plurality of generally cylindrical ice cavities 4 arranged in a straight line and separated from one another by walls 5, each of which includes a vertical passage 6 permitting the flow of water from one cavity to another during the mold filling operation. A plurality of ejection pads or pistons 7, which to a substantial extent form the bottoms of the.cavities, are interconnected bay a bar 8 slidably received within the passage 6.

The power and control means for operating the icemaker are generally contained with the housing 10 secured to one end of the mold, these means including a motor (not shown) connected through ejection drive means including a lever II and an ejection rod 12 to the pads.

As is more fully described in the aforementioned Baker et al and Shaw patents, an operating cycle of the icemaker comprises filling of the cavities with water, heating of the molds to free the formed ice pieces from the cavities, ejection of the ice pieces by' upward movement of the rod 12 thereby raising the pads from their lower position in the bottom of the cavities to a raised position above the upper surface of the. mold and return movement of the pads and rod 12 to their lower positions during which a subsequent charge of water is introduced into the mold cavities.

In accordance with the present invention, means for supplying water to the icemaker comprises a water storage receptacle 16 suitably supported as by means of shelf 17 in the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator on the opposite side of the partition 2 adjacent the reservoir. This pump includes wall means defining a pumping chamber 19 containing a pumping diaphragm 20 comprising a flexible component 21. the center portion of which is backed by a rigid backing member 22. The pump is actuated by means of a pump operating means in the form of a rod 24 extending from the member 22 through the partition 2 at a point slightly above the lower end of the ejection rod 12 forming part of the icemaker. Preferably, the pump walls are formed of a suitable plastic material as is also the cylindrical or tubular sleeve 25 extending through the partition 2 for receiving the rod 24. Rod 24 is loosely journalled in the sleeve 25 so that during movement of the diaphragm 20 air can pass freely between the freezer compartment and the partion of the pump behind the diaphragm 20.

For the purpose of providing the desired horizontal reciprocating movement of the diaphragm 20 for pumping action thereof, the freezer end of the pump operating rod 24 is provided-with a vertical passage 26 for receiving a driving camming rod 27 operated by the ice maker ejection mechanism. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the rod includes a vertically extending portion 28 the upper end of which is slidably mounted in fins 29 formed on the rear side of the ice mold 3 while its lower end is suitably secured to the icemaker ejection means, as for example, to the lower end of the ejection rod 12 asby means of a pin 30. The rod 27 also includes an intermediate slantingor camming portion 31 operative during vertical movement of the ejection rod 12 to provide a horizontal reciprocating movement to the member 24 and hence effect a pumping action by the diaphragm 20.

In HQ. 2, the mechanism is illustrated in its position during the freezing portion of an ice making cycle. The ejector rod 12 and hence the drive rod 27 are in their lower positions while the pump diaphragm is in a position in which the chamber 19 contains a minimum amount of water. During the upward movement of the ejector 12 for ejecting ice pieces from the cavities 4, the camming rod 27 moves upwardly so that the slanting portion 31 cams the pump rod 24 and hence diaphragm 20 to the left as illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawing thereby drawing water through the inlet tube 34 and inlet valve 35 into the pump chamber 19. Thereafter, during the return or downward movement of the ejection mechanism, the diaphragm 20 is returned to its original position so that water is discharged from the pumping chamber 19 through the outlet valve 38 and tube 39 extending through the partition 2 into the inlet or feed chamber 42 provided at one end of the icemaker. The icemaker charged with a fresh charge of water is then ready for a subsequent ice making cycle including the freezing of the water, release of the cubes and ejection of the cubes from the mold.

From the above description it will be seen that there has been provided simple and low cost means for substantially directly driving a diaphragm pump from the vertically movable icemaker ejection mechanism, this means permitting the pump to be mounted on the same partition or wall as the icemaker although on the opposite side thercof'where it will occupy the minimum of space. By this positioning of the icemaker and pump, water from the pump needs to be conveyed only a relatively short distance from a reservoir in the fresh food compartment to the icemaker.

While there has been shown and described a specific embodiment of the invention it will be understood that it is not limited thereto and that it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

1 claim:

1. In combination:

a refrigerator including a wall defining a freezer compartment;

an automatic icemaker mounted in said freezer compartment adjacent said wall;

said icemaker including a vertically reciprocating ejection means for periodically ejecting ice pieces from said icemaker;

a water reservoir on the other side of said wall from said icemaker;

a diaphragm pump on the other side of said wall for transferring a measured charge of water from said reservoir to said icemaker following ejection of ice pieces therefrom;

said pump including a diaphragm and diaphragm operating means slidably extending through said wall into said freezer compartment; and

drive means connecting said diaphragm operating means to said ejection means for filling said pump with charge of water during movement of said reciprocating means in one direction for ejection of ice pieces from said icemaker and transferring said charge to said icemaker during return movement of said reciprocating means.

2. in combination:

a refrigerator including a vertical wall separating a freezer compartment from a fresh food compartment;

an automatic icemaker mounted in said freezer compartment adjacent said wall;

said icemaker including a mold and a vertically-reciprocating means below said'mold for periodically ejecting ice pieces from said mold;

a water reservoir in said fresh food compartment;

means including a diaphragm pump mounted on said wall in said fresh food compartment for transferring a measured charge of water from said source to said icemaker following ejection of ice pieces from said mold;

said pump including a diaphragm and diaphragm operating means slidably extendingthrough said wall into said freezer compartment;

and means connecting said diaphragm operating means to said reciprocating means for filling said pump with a charge of water during movement of said reciprocating means in one direction for ejection of ice pieces from said ice-maker and transferring said charge to said icemaker during return movement of said reciprocating means;

said connecting means including a drive rod having a lower end portion connected to said reciprocating means, an upper end portion slidably supported on said mold and a camming intermediate portion engaging said diaphragm operating means.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which said drive rod slidably extends through a passage in said operating means.

i i i i i 

1. In combination: a refrigerator including a wall defining a freezer compartment; an automatic icemaker mounted in said freezer compartment adjacent said wall; said icemaker including a vertically reciprocating ejection means for periodically ejecting ice pieces from said icemaker; a water reservoir on the other side of said wall from said icemaker; a diaphragm pump on the other side of said wall for transferring a measured charge of water from said reservoir to said icemaker following ejection of ice pieces therefrom; said pump including a diaphragm and diaphragm operating means slidably extending through said wall into said freezer compartment; and drive means connecting said diaphragm operating means to said ejection means for filling said pump with charge of water during movement of said reciprocating means in one direction for ejection of ice pieces from said icemaker and transferring said charge to said icemaker during return movement of said reciprocating means.
 2. In combination: a refrigerator including a vertical wall separating a freezer compartment from a fresh food compartment; an automatic icemaker mounted in said freezer compartment adjacent said wall; said icemaker including a mold and a vertically reciprocating means below said mold for periodically ejecting ice pieces from said mold; a water reservoir in said fresh food compartment; means including a diaphragm pump mounted on said wall in said fresh food compartment for transferring a measured charge of water from said source to said icemaker following ejection of ice pieces from said mold; said pump including a diaphragm and diaphragm operating means slidably extending through said wall into said freezer compartment; and means connecting said diaphragm operating means to said reciprocating means for filling said pump with a charge of water during movement of said reciprocating means in one direction for ejection of ice pieces from said ice-maker and transferring said charge to said icemaker during return movement of said reciprocating means; said connecting means including a drive rod having a lower end portion connected to said reciprocating means, an upper end portion slidably supported on said mold and a camming intermediate portion engaging said diaphragm operating means.
 3. The combination of claim 2 in which said drive rod slidably extends through a passage in said operating means. 